Employment Bill [Lords]

I agree with the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) in one respect: the Government will not be voting against this Bill tonight. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs said, the Employment Bill will make important improvements to key areas of employment law. It will put in place an enforcement framework that provides increased protection for vulnerable workers and reputable businesses, and it will reduce the regulatory burden of resolving disputes at work, to the benefit of both businesses and individuals. This twin approach—increasing protection for the vulnerable while reducing regulatory burdens—is crucial to meeting current and future economic challenges in the UK. Since 1997, developments in UK employment policy have been based on achieving a labour market that combines fairness with flexibility.